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P3i — Pakistan Institute of Incident Investigation

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Independent Patient Safety Review — Pakistan & International

When care goes wrong, everyone wants to understand. Nobody wants to be blamed.

We carry out independent, non-adversarial reviews of serious patient safety incidents for hospitals, clinics and families. We look at the system of care — handovers, staffing, equipment, communication and protocols — alongside clinical specialists, so the hospital learns, the family understands, and the next patient is safer.

Quiet hospital corridor with soft natural light

Since the 1990s

30

years investigating

250+

investigations closed, incl. HiPOs

15

countries served

20+

countries of lead seminars

100+

nationalities trained

How we work with hospitals

Four principles we agree before we start.

i.

Learning, not blame

We review the system of care. We do not look for an individual to hold responsible.

ii.

Clinicians judge clinical questions

Clinical judgement is reviewed only by qualified clinical peers co-opted to the review, never by investigators.

iii.

The family is heard

Families are invited to share their account and their questions, and receive findings in plain language.

iv.

Confidential throughout

How findings are shared, and with whom, is agreed in writing with the hospital at the outset.

One evening, three perspectives

The same five hours, seen three ways.

A review brings every perspective onto one timeline. Choose whose view to see.

  1. 6:40 pmBrought their father in with chest pain in the evening.
  2. 7:30 pmWaited, and were not sure who was responsible for him.
  3. 8:15 pmNoticed he seemed worse and asked for help twice.
  4. 9:50 pmWere told he had been moved, but not why.
  5. NowWant to know: could anything have been done differently?

What The family need from a review

An honest, plain-language account, and to know that something will change.

An illustrative example. Every review is built on the actual records and accounts of the case.

What a review involves

Six steps, agreed with the hospital.

Hospital leadership and review team agreeing scope

01 · Scope

Questions, confidentiality and how findings will be shared, agreed with the hospital.

Clinical records reviewed during a patient safety review

02 · Records

Charts, observations, rosters and equipment logs, assembled into one timeline.

One-to-one conversation between reviewer and staff member

03 · Conversations

Private conversations with staff, and with the family, in the language they are most comfortable in.

Clinical specialist reviewing a case

04 · Clinical review

Clinical questions reviewed by qualified clinical peers relevant to the case.

Ward station with handover board and monitoring equipment

05 · Systems analysis

Handovers, staffing, escalation, equipment and protocols — the conditions care was given in.

Findings being shared in a calm meeting

06 · Shared findings

A learning plan for the hospital, and a plain-language account for the family.

A serious patient safety concern? A first conversation is confidential and costs nothing.

Talk to an investigator WhatsApp

1 in 10

Patients worldwide are harmed while receiving care, and around half of that harm is preventable.

Source: World Health Organization, patient safety fact sheet.

The global direction

Health systems around the world are moving away from reviews that look for someone to blame. England's National Health Service replaced its serious incident framework in 2022 with an approach centred on learning, system improvement and meaningful involvement of patients and families.

Hospitals in Pakistan pursuing national and international accreditation are expected to show the same thing: that serious incidents are reviewed openly, and that the learning is acted on. An independent review is the clearest way to show it.

You commission one review. You get a stronger hospital.

One case. Improvements across every ward.

Handover

A structured handover used at every shift change, on every ward.

Escalation

Warning scores that trigger a named response, built into the chart.

Capacity

A plan for evenings when monitored beds are full.

Families

A named contact who keeps families informed while a patient is moved.

Examples of the improvements a patient safety review typically leads to.

Who asks us

Hospital building exterior

Hospitals and clinics

For serious incidents where an independent view will strengthen trust, support accreditation and bring learning the internal team is too close to see.

Family members sitting together in a quiet waiting area

Families

For families who want an independent account of what happened. Where possible we work with the hospital, so the review has full access and the findings are shared openly.

Corporate health benefits or insurance office

Insurers and employers

For health insurers and employers funding care, who need an independent understanding of a serious event involving their members or staff.

The P3i approach

How we investigate a patient safety event. Fact-finding, not fault-finding.

Every P3i investigation is led by a senior investigator and supported by internationally qualified process specialists. You will not receive a list of people to blame, or a long list of generic actions. You will receive the facts, the proven causes, and a short plan that closes the gaps, in this case and across your system.

Independent

No products, repairs or contracts to sell you afterwards.

Senior-led

Thirty years of investigation, from the first call to the final briefing.

Beyond the event

Process specialists find the other cracks before they fail.

Ready to present

Written for boards, buyers, insurers and regulators.

How P3i does it for you

  1. 01

    Agree the scope with the hospital

    Questions, confidentiality and how findings will be shared, agreed in writing first.

  2. 02

    Build one timeline of care

    Charts, observations, rosters and equipment logs brought into one sequence.

  3. 03

    Hear staff and the family

    Private conversations, in the language each person is most comfortable in.

  4. 04

    Clinical peers on clinical questions

    Qualified clinicians review clinical judgement; we lead the systems review.

  5. 05

    A learning plan for every ward

    Specific, affordable improvements and a plain-language account for the family.

What you receive

Timeline of careSystems findingsClinical peer inputLearning planPlain-language family accountAccreditation-ready report

Call us when

A serious patient safety eventA family has asked for an independent reviewAn accreditation body expects open reviewA pattern of similar complaints

Free 30-minute case assessment.

Tell us what happened. In confidence, we will tell you what the investigation should cover, how long it will take and what to preserve today.

How we work with you

What happens after you call.

For a patient safety review, the first conversation is confidential. We agree the questions, who should be involved and how findings will be shared, before any records are requested.

  1. First hour

    A call with a lead investigator. You leave it knowing what to preserve today and who to call next.

  2. Day one

    An investigator on site, anywhere in Pakistan. Scope and fixed fee agreed in writing.

  3. Week one

    A private briefing on early findings, so urgent risks are dealt with before the report is finished.

  4. Weeks three to four

    The final report, the wider system review and a remedial work plan, presented to your team.

  5. After

    We come back to check the actions were completed and actually worked.

Typical timings for a single-site event. Complex, multi-party matters take longer, and we tell you so on the first call.

What you receive

A full investigation report. This is only its first page.

The summary is what leadership reads first. Behind it sits the complete file: every witness heard, every document and record examined, and every finding tied to numbered evidence, so a board, an insurer, a buyer or a regulator can test it.

P3i Investigation Report · Summary Page 1 · Executive summary

1 · Established sequence

2 · Causes

Immediate
Underlying
Systemic

3 · Wider system findings

4 · Remedial work plan

ActionOwnerDateTest of effectiveness Fit personal locks for every operatorPlant Mgr30 daysSpot audit, 10 isolations

Illustrative summary page. Report length and structure depend on the scope of each case.

Inside the full report

  1. 01Executive summary SHOWNThe findings and actions leadership needs, on one page. This is the page shown here.
  2. 02Terms of reference & scopeThe questions asked, the boundaries of the investigation and who commissioned it.
  3. 03MethodHow evidence was gathered, and which analysis methods were chosen for this case, and why.
  4. 04Verified chronologyThe sequence of events, reconstructed from records, data and accounts, minute by minute where it matters.
  5. 05Site & technical examinationScene, equipment, failed parts, measurements and photographs, with specialists where needed.
  6. 06Witness evidenceInterview schedule, accounts in summary, and where the witnesses agree and where they conflict.
  7. 07Documents & recordsPermits, procedures, maintenance, training, rosters, CCTV, tracker and control-system data reviewed.
  8. 08Causal analysisImmediate, underlying and system causes, each one tied to numbered evidence.
  9. 09System reviewWhere the same weaknesses exist elsewhere in the operation.
  10. 10Findings & conclusionsWhat is proven, what is probable, and what remains open, stated plainly.
  11. 11Recommendations & work planTargeted actions, each with an owner, a date and a test of whether it worked.
  12. 12AppendicesEvidence register, photograph log, interview records, drawings and data extracts.

Every action has an owner, a date and a test of whether it worked. The evidence stays indexed, so any reader can check how each conclusion was reached.

From our files

CASE 16 · ANONYMISEDFire at a daycare facilityRead the case →CASE 12 · ANONYMISEDIncident with significant reputational exposureRead the case →

See all 16 cases →   Client names, people, locations and dates removed.

Questions we are asked

By hospitals, clinicians and families.

Will the review blame the doctors or nurses?

No. We look at the system of care: handovers, staffing, equipment, communication, protocols and workload. Clinical judgement is reviewed only by clinical peers. The aim is safer care, not blame.

Can a family ask for a review?

Yes. We will usually suggest working with the hospital, so the review has access to records and staff. Many hospitals welcome this, because it gives the family confidence in the findings.

Why would a hospital commission an independent review?

It strengthens trust with patients and families, supports accreditation and quality programmes, and often finds system improvements that an internal team, close to the events, can miss.

Who reviews the clinical questions?

Qualified clinical specialists relevant to the case, working alongside our investigators. We lead the systems review; clinicians review clinical questions.

Is it confidential?

Yes. Patient information is handled confidentially, and how findings are shared is agreed with the hospital at the start.

Related

Healthcare Complaint Investigation Human Factors Occupational Illness

Understanding first. Safer care next.

A first conversation is confidential and carries no obligation.

Request a conversation 042 37135571-3